The advent of inexpensive, sound-generating circuits have made them available for use in many different types of novelty items, such as children's toys and greeting cards, in order to give them the capability of being a "talking" novelty item. The sound-generating circuits may produce either a spoken phrase, musical melody, or sound effects.
The most pertinent patent prior art of which the applicant is aware is U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,465 issued to Yamada et al on Aug. 23, 1988. This patent discloses a ceramic cup having a sound-generating circuit at the bottom to produce a melody when the cup is lifted up. The circuit is permanently sealed to the bottom of the cup beneath a cast synthetic resin. U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,161 issued to Wergeland on Dec. 14, 1971 discloses a baby bottle having a removable base which includes a wind-up music box. The base is held in press-fitting engagement with the bottom of the bottle.